Middle East News – July 5th

Kuwait’s Emir Sabah who recently asked the reigning Prime Minister to form a new government and prepare for elections. Many believe this is a sign that the Sabah family will begin to relinquish power in Kuwait in the coming years.

– President Assad says that Syria’s protestors were unsuccessful in their attempts to generate the mass appeal of protests in countries like Egypt and Tunisa – CNN

– Wikileaks is releasing over two million e-mails from Syrian government officials that it says are ’embarrassing’ to the regime – BBC

– Sheikh Sabah al Ahmad al Sabah, emir of Kuwait, has asked his Prime Minister to form a new government and prepare for new elections in the coming months – this is a further sign that the Sabah family, which has ruled Kuwait for over 250 years, may finally be giving up its power – Al-Bawaba

– International charity Oxfam has issued a stern condemnation of Israel’s continuing settlement building in Palestinian territory. The charity says that this is severely hampering economic development for Palestinians in the region – BBC

– Iraq’s foreign minister says that Al-Qaeda members are flooding into Syria as that country further descends into internal turmoil and is unable to fully police its borders – Al-Jazeera

– Tunisia has joined the call of Arab states for a renewed investigation into the death of form PLO leader Yasser Arafat amid reports that he may have been poisoned – Al-Jazeera

– A meeting of Syrian opposition groups to decide upon united strategic and political front in the conflict against the Assad regime ended in arguments and scuffles. This showcases the disorganized nature of the Syrian resistance movements. – Al-Bawaba

– An 11-year old boy arrested in connection to protests in Bahrain has been released from jail today. However, the government has declared that he must be closely watched as punishment for aiding in the ‘blocking’ of roads during a May anti-government protest – Al-Jazeera

– Archaeologists in Israel have discovered an immaculately preserved fourth century Synagogue with mosaics depicting Samon’s exploits from the Torah – This represents one of the finest mosaics ever discovered from this era – BBC

– More and more women are playing basketball in Saudi Arabia, going against the time honored taboo against females participating in sports – this comes on the heels of Saudi Arabia’s announcement that it would allow women to participate in future Olympic Games – CNN